Tomica
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In Memory of MARCELLO GANDINI – FEATURETTE
Design language for eternity! Marcello Gandini designed the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, but also everyday cars for BMW, Citroen and Renault. He now died in Rivoli at the age of 85. If his father had had his way, Marcello Gandini would have become a pianist. But he invested the money he had received for a Latin book in a book on cars and engineering. Fortunately, Gandini rebelled against family tradition and took a different path to his father, who was a well-known conductor. The automotive world would be poorer for some of the most spectacular cars. Lamborghini Miura and Countach In 1965, Marcello Gandini joined Bertone, succeeding Giorgio Giugiaro (legendary…
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Bōsōzoku, the craziness of Japan POP RACE FEATURETTE
Welcome to the Bōsōzoku subculture of Japan! 暴走族! Literally, it means “brutal running tribe”, which already says the essentials about this subculture: it’s all about tuning cars and motorbikes to generate a brutal look. Originally, the Bōsōzoku gangs were pure motorbike clubs, but gradually migrated into the car scene. These gangs experienced their heyday at the beginning of the 1980s. They were recognisable by their tokko-fuku (特攻服), the “special attack uniform” based on the uniform of kamikaze pilots with slogans in kanji characters. Later, the influence of the actual gangs faded, but the subculture remained and shifted to cars. Bōsōzoku style was born! An absolute masterpiece in its own way:…
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Legacy of Nissan Skyline GTR R34 – JDM FEATURETTE
The Skyline Culture: The roots of the Nissan Skyline GT-R go back to 1969, when Nissan introduced the Skyline 2000 as the “2000 GT-R” sports version. At the time, the Japanese car, which was powered by an in-line six-cylinder, had 160 hp and weighed only 1,100 kilograms, was Nissan’s reaction to American muscle cars. The attempt failed to some extent, the GT-R sold rather sluggishly due to the oil crisis in the 1970s and was discontinued in 1973. (Today, however, the so-called “shoe boxes”, Hakosuka, are traded in good condition for well over 200,000 Euros). It was not until 1989 that project manager Kozo Watanabe decided to offer a GT-R…
